Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

I think October must be very conducive for my creativity. I have started and finished a project, or should I say 2? I made 2 new puppy beds for my dogs. My little Lillie took right to it. The last beds they had, got quite bad, and my Mugsy was digging the stuffing out of them. With these beds I am actually recycling our old pillows. I just took 2 pieces of polar fleece, cut them 6 inches bigger than the pillow, cut a fringe of 3 inches, and tied them around the pillow.

It is time for me to think about which UFO I will work on for November. I will go through my stash and see what appeals to me. I will let you know by Thursday what I will finally finish.

Friday, October 19, 2012

I have another finish to report out of my UFOs. My new Fall purse is done. I made one for Summer, and now this one, and plan of eventually have one for all seasons. I just really like that pattern, and the purse is a wonderful size to fit all my stuff in it. I also love the organizing inside pockets that I can sew in for my own needs. I think since I finished 2 UFOs this month I get to work on something new. Perhaps pull fabric for a winter purse? Crochet an Afghan? Maybe need a Cardigan? Oh the possibilities.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Did you ever hear anybody describe life as a Roller Coaster? I prefer to liken it to a hike in the Mountains. A Roller Coaster races through the valleys and across the peaks. A hike in the Mountains is a slow and laborious ascent up the Mountain, littered with rocks to stumble over, and thoughts of giving up and turning around. Then if you decide it is worth the effort to climb up, you are on the top, and see it was worth the trouble. But you can't remain there for too long, and you have to embark on your way down. The descent is more rapid. You find yourself having a difficult time to slow down, because of the steep path, and gravity pulling you down. Then you are tired and worn out in the Valley, and have to hike up the next mountain. A lot of times it is really difficult to find the motivation to go on up the next hill side, and we wonder if it is even worth the effort it takes.

So many of my friends are in the process of hiking up the mountain, or even just starting out of the Valley. My prayers are with them, that they will get that "push" to keep on going.

I am on my career Mountain right now. If you know Mountains, then you know how it starts out gentle, and gets steeper as you get closer to peak. I must be close to the peak, because right now it is a battle to climb that rock ledge up there. I need patients, calculate my steps, and keep pressing on. I can see the cross that marks the peak, but it is just out of reach. It is so difficult to have patients, and not try some crazy short cut, and risk getting stuck, and having to back track to get back on the right path.

I am praying that I will have the patients and strength to continue on my mapped out path to the peak. All I have to do it climb over this big ledge. I am not having illusions that it will be easy, but I know I can make it over this huge stumbling block. It is very tempting to explore some of the other paths, but I can still change direction once I am over that hard part.

To make it easier to understand, the ledge is the job I have right now, and I have to hold on for 3 1/2 weeks more until I am eligible to bid into a job in the Hospital system that I trained for. But with all the things going on at work, it is really difficult to have the patients. The other paths are jobs in private practice. On a normal day, I am determined to get a job within the hospital system that I work in currently. But today, a job in private practice looks very tempting too. I hope and pray I can push through, and see what is on the other end, I.E. a job in a doctors office. I am getting very impatient to be able to move on.

I know I am unable to fulfil God's plan for me by myself. So I am on my knees, and ask God to give me the patients and strength that I need to arrive at the point where he wants me at.

Monday, October 8, 2012

I actually managed to stick to my guns this month. I have one UFO finished. They are just basic mittens, but very important to me. They are my first mittens!! Now I know the basic construction of them, and knitting patterned mittens will be a lot easier from now on, and I am looking forward to it. I used Knit Picks Andean Silk in Hollyberry. I know it shows very pink here, but the yarn is actually a nice, rich, burgundy color.

Now I have a decision to make, will I try to finish another UFO, or start a new project? I think the sensible decision would be to work on another UFO. I have to see what appeals to me at the moment. I might even have to unravel things I don't like anymore. But I will definitely keep up with my resolution of finishing one UFO per month. So I might pull out something more involved, now that I have plenty of time left in the month to finish another project. I will keep you updated how I am progressing.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

I admit, it is not exactly a new concept, but it is new to me. If you know me, then your know my plight with my projects. I start a lot of things, but hardly ever finish anything. But since I am now not having so many irons in the fire anymore, maybe I can devote some of my time back to my hobbies. So I thought it would be a great idea to commit to finishing a project every month. Now I am just talking about finishing something I have in the works, some pretty close to completion. Maybe some months I can start a project and finish it within the month, but it is supposed to help me get some of my Wip's (Works in progress) finished. So from today on, until October 1, 2013 I will post about my projects at the beginning of the month, tell what I am planning on finishing, and at the end of the month I will have to post a picture of my finished project. Now I ask you, my dear readers, to give me a hard time if I don't follow through. I don't mean to be rude to me, that would hurt my feelings, but I can handle friendly jest.

For this month I have picked a pair of basic mittens. I always like the fancy patterned mittens, and would love to make them, but am a little intimidated because I have no idea of the construction of a mitten. So my thought process was, if I make plain mittens, I will have a general idea of what I am doing, and the patterns will be easier to understand and follow. I have the first mitten 2/3 done, and should be able to start working on my first thumb soon. I will let you know how it all works out in the end.